Bridge-gate



(No Moql.)

H. MESSING.

'BRIDGE GATE;

Nrrnn STATES HENRY ROESSING, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BRI DG E-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 494,796, dated April 4, 1893.

Application filed November 2l, 1892. Serial No. 452,629. (No model.,l

To @ZZ when?, t may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY RonssING, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sat`ety-Gates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in safety gates generally, though more especially of the class employed in connection with swing or pivot-bridges to bar the approach to the bridge abutment when the bridge is opened and open it, by folding out of the way when the bridge is closed, the gate being aotuated by movement of the bridge.

My object is to provide a gate ot' the above class of simple, strong and durable construction, reliable in its operation, and particularly desirable for its purpose.

In the drawings-Figure l, is a partly sectional elevation, illustrating the swinging bars,which form the gate, in folded condition, the direction of movement of the bars and final position thereof, when the gate is raised, being indicated' by dotted lines; Fig. 2, a broken sectional view of a bridge abutment and the adjacent end ot' a pivot-bridge, with my improved gate in its depressed position; Fig. 3, an enlarged partly sectional View, the section being taken on line 3 of Fig. 2, and viewed in the direction of the arrow; and Fig. 4, an enlarged transverse section of the gate and gate-housing, showing the gate raised.

A is the bridge-abutment, formed on its outer side with a shelf A', and having an upper surface A2 which constitutes the bridgeapproach. The bridge B is pivoted in the usual way to swing horizontally with its ends, in the plane of the approach A2. Close to and parallel with the edge of the approach is a housing C of the form in cross-section shown in Figs. 2 and 4i, open at the top and extending nearly or fully the width of the approach. The housing forms a narrow trench with a base ,vertical parallel sides '2 and outward extending flanges s at the top a short distance below the plane of the surface A2. Resting upon the iianges s are heavy metal plates r having coincident recesses fr at their upper inner edges. D is the gate, comprising bars Q formed with parallel side strips, and pivoted in the housing to swing in the vertical plane. Below their pivot-s the bars q are provided with weighted ends q which tend to maintain the bars vertical.

Extending between the strips of the bars q below the tops of the latter and pivoted thereto, is a horizontal bar p, forming the lower rail of the gate; and similarly connected with the tops of the bars q is a horizontal bar n, forming the upper-rail ot" the gate. The bar n is a flat plate adapted, when the gate is lowered, to rest in the socket formed by the recesses r', with its upper surface flush with the surface A2; and along its under side is a rib n to which the upper ends of the bars q are pivoted. The middle bar q at its pivot is iixed upon a rock-shaft m, journaled in bea-rings in the sides t t2 of the housing, and extending through an opening o in the abutment to the shelf A', where it is journaled at its outer end in astandard Z. The shelf m carries a pinion m", and a segmental gear m2. Mounted on the outer surface of the abutment above the pinion m and meshing with the latter is an idle pinion m3.

On the under side of the end of the bridge is a rack tain position 1.o engage the segment m2 in the movement of the bridge, and beyond the end and to one side ofthe rack 7o is a rack llc arranged to engage the pinion m3. When the bridge is closed the shaft m is directly below its center, the gate is folded, the segment is in position to be engaged and turned by the rack k a quarter revolution by the movement of the bridge iu one direction,and the pinion m3 is in position to be engaged by the rack 7c and turned a quarter revolution when the bridge is moved in the opposite direction. Movement of the bridge to the right, in Fig. 3, will cause the rack 7o to turn the segment m2 and shaft m to the right and swing the central gate bar q and, through the latter and the horizontal bars n p, the other gate bars q, to the vertical position; while movement of the bridge to the left causes the rack la to engage and turn the pinion m3 a quarter revolution to the left, and byits engagement with the pinion m', turn that pinion and the shaft m a quarter revolution to the right and raise the gate as before. Vhen raised the gate is maintained in that condition by the weights q', causing the segment m2 and pinion m3 to remain in the position where one or the other IOC will be engaged by its respective rack, de; pendingiipon the direction from-Which the bridge approaches, to turn the shaft m to the left and fold the gate. When the gate is folded, as before stated, the top bar or plate n rests in the socket formed by the recessesr and extends flush with the siirfaceA2, so that the top of the trench is closed and no obstri1ction will be presented to the passage of teams or pedestrians, while when the gate is raised it will present a strong and effective bar at the end of the approach.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure v by Letters Patent, is-

l. In combination with a swing bridge and its abutment, a. housing, forming a narrow trench in the abutment, a folding gate com,-

prising bars pivoted in the said housing to swing upward on their pivots from a folded position in the housing, to extend upward, in

unfolded position, from: the housing, a rail pivoted to the ends: of said bars andk i'tting over and closi'ngthe top of the` trench when thev said bars, areA folded,and movable with the barsy to form the top rail of thegatewhen lthe barsai'e raised ontheir pivots, gear* mechanism onftbebrid'gaand operating gear'm'echf anism fory the gate onv the said abutment in` thepath: ofthe gear mechanism on the bridge,

to'be actuatedI thereby to foid the. gate asthe top rail of the. gate when the bars are unfolded, an operating shaft for .the gate, gear mechanism connected with the shaft to turn the latter, and gear mechanism upon the bridge, operating in the v movement of the bridge in either direction away from the abutr"ment to engage and turn the gear mechanism at the shaft to turn the shaft and unfold the gate,1 and operative in the movement of the bridge from either direction to the abutment -to engage the gear mechanism at the shaft and fold the gate, substantially as described. 8. In combination with a swing-bridge and itsabiitment, aY roclesliaft mjonrnaled in and projecting past the abutment, a folding gate connected withv and operated by saidl shaft to `unfold acrossthe abutment.wheny said shaft is rocked in one direction and to fold .outrot the wayfw'hen saidshattisroeked in the oppostte direction, racks. la 7c on the under side of the bridge, a segmental-gear on theshaft m in the path of the racists, a gear fm/on the shaft m, and an idile gearv journaled in the a abutment to mesh-with thepinion m and exi tend inL the pathv of the rack lo', the,` racks on the bridge and gears on the abutment being y so arranged with relation toeach other, .that .When the bridge is: swung` to the abutment from eitherdirection, one of'said' gearswili be engaged by oneof said rackstorock the shaft m in one direction, toiold thegate, and when the bridge is swung in eitherdirection away from its abutment one oit said gearswill be engaged by one of said racks: andi rock the shaft m in the opposite directioirto. un told the gate, substantially asdzescribed'.

HENRY ROESSING.

In: presence of'- J. Faos'r,

l. N. I-IANsoN. 

